Small numbers of Raglan residents braved a chilly Thursday night on the 19th May in the Raglan Town Hall to ask Council managers about the Waikato District’s draft Long Term Plan (LTP). The evening was conducted in the drift in and out style that is popular with Waikato District senior management. Two GMs, the Raglan Councillor and two other staff were on hand to answer questions complemented by large print display panels. Many local people had obviously got all the information they need about the LTP proposals from the meeting organised the previous week by the Raglan Residents & Ratepayers Association.
Perhaps the chilly night will make staff reconsider the Town Hall heating project that they deleted from the Raglan Community Board’s submission on the town’s needs for the next ten years.
I was disappointed by the consultation/information evening and found it difficult even, from the poster sized words and figures to even form a question, let alone find a staff member to ask about the effects of the Long Term Plan’s costs and benefits to Raglan residents and ratepayers.
The only people to seem to like the drift’n out format are the Council’s staff.
For some reason Tony called the remaining residents into a discussion circle near the end and we got some useful information and ideas until WDC staff left at 8pm. He didn’t though release information on the average rates in Raglan and his colleague, Alison, said she didn’t know and couldn’t understand how the mayor got his $613.